By Hayden Spiess
The old adage that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach can be aptly applied to seniors housing residents. Tim Bryant, president of StoryPoint Group, knows this firsthand.
Before ascending to his leadership role at one of the largest senior living operators in the country, Bryant served as the chef at Independence Village of Plymouth, a StoryPoint community in Plymouth, Michigan, roughly two decades ago. There, Bryant took a deep interest in the well-being of residents, even fostering a relationship with a particularly acerbic resident who frequently complained about the food.
“I knew the food was good,” says Bryant, who assumed the role of StoryPoint president in 2022. “I started interacting with that resident every day. Eventually, he shared with me that the complaints were never about the food and that his loved ones moved him into the community and never visited.”
After this revelation, Bryant used his own money to buy and serve the resident his favorite meal — steak with wine. “This was a man’s man, but he cried. He shed a tear,” recalls Bryant.
That same night, the resident passed away. “I had the opportunity to serve this person his last meal,” says Bryant, who credits this experience with starting him on his journey to seniors housing leadership.
“By then, I was committed to do whatever I can to make sure that every senior, no matter what, has the best [treatment]. I know that I was supposed to serve and make things better for employees as well.”
Growth Spurt
StoryPoint’s headcount has certainly grown since the days when Bryant’s domain was the kitchen, as has the company’s portfolio. As of fall 2025, Brighton, Michigan-based StoryPoint employed 11,296 workers serving 15,019 residents. StoryPoint ranked as the ninth-largest seniors housing operator in the country in the recently published, 2025 edition of the ASHA 50, which lists the 50 largest owners and operators in the sector based on data as of June 1, 2025.
Launched as Independence Village more than 40 years ago, StoryPoint’s portfolio originally comprised six communities with a focus on independent living. Ownership of the company has changed hands throughout the decades, with the current owner — Common Sail Investment Group, a privately owned holding company — in place since 2010. Common Sail’s portfolio also includes Corso Personal Care, Hospice Services, O’Brien Construction and O’Brien Interiors Group.
As of November 2025, StoryPoint’s operating portfolio comprised 17,671 units across nine states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. In December, the company added additional units and reached a total of 157 communities.
Over the years, the focus of the portfolio has shifted more toward needs-based residences, which now make up the majority of the unit count. In November 2025, StoryPoint’s portfolio included 6,443 independent living units, with 5,215 and 2,348 assisted living and memory care units, respectively.
StoryPoint also offers 391 active adult residences and 980 units of what it terms “enhanced living,” which provides selective support for residents that cannot be fully independent but that are not yet at the acuity level of assisted living.
StoryPoint operates most of its portfolio on a third-party basis. Of the communities StoryPoint manages, it has ownership in 18. Of those 18, seven communities are fully owned by the company, with the balance engaged in a partial ownership structure.
One of StoryPoint’s most significant partners is Welltower, the largest REIT in the sector with a market capitalization of $129.1 billion at the close of business on Jan. 15, 2026.
In 2022, the companies announced an expansion of their partnership, with Welltower acquiring 2,787 units across 33 communities in Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, all to be operated by StoryPoint.
“These transactions represent a further evolution in our relationship with StoryPoint and build on our two companies’ success from prior investments,” said Shankh Mitra, CEO of Welltower, in a statement at the time.
As of the third quarter of 2025, StoryPoint operated 101 total properties on behalf of Welltower, representing the fourth-largest operator partnership for the giant REIT headquartered in Toledo, Ohio.
Service is the Mission
Bryant recognizes both the difficulty and importance of continuing to ensure quality at individual communities across multiple states. Bryant and the other company leaders make it a priority to be present at the community level as much as possible.
“I’m a servant, so I should be serving,” emphasizes Bryant. “I’m out there with our leaders and making sure that we are delivering on that aspect. I expect us to be amazing, and I expect us to pour into people’s cups, and I’m out making sure that happens.”
This focus on having a servant mindset, which is in part inspired by Bryant’s faith, is important to redefining seniors housing and distinguishing it from more clinical settings like those of hospitals, says the veteran executive.
“That is what was previously missing from senior living,” points out Bryant. “I’ve seen us as an industry do a better job of redefining what seniors housing is. and that was very important to us — redefining the industry and what it means to love and care for people in senior communities.”
One Team
Another key to maintaining excellence, he insists, is finding the right people to staff these properties and the company at large. “It’s important to make sure that you hire the right people,” attests Bryant. “This work is hard. You have to have a servant heart and a servant mind to do this work, and not everybody is prepared to go on this journey.”
StoryPoint takes a number of steps to keep employees connected to the leadership and inspired by the company’s mission. In recent years, the company’s leadership has debuted what StoryPoint calls its “One Team” broadcast. These broadcasts, which now occur two times a year, are essentially company-wide video conferences.
Leadership has the opportunity to provide live business updates to employees, and associates have the chance to provide feedback and recognize one another. StoryPoint also incorporates staff input into the design and operation of buildings and prioritizes paying associates fairly and competitively.
Bryant estimates that roughly 4,000 to 5,000 employees log on for each broadcast.
Every Minute, Every Day
The central tenet of StoryPoint and of Bryant’s approach to senior living leadership is encapsulated in the mantra of “1440,” which is emblazoned on the wall behind Bryant’s desk as a reminder. This figure represents the number of minutes in a day and is a call to deliver excellence to residents and employees in each and every moment.
“This means to create the absolute best experience for every person in every interaction, every minute of every day,” explains Bryant. “This is something that has fueled us for a long time.”
In the years leading up to 2019, StoryPoint primarily grew through development, but that strategy has shifted in recent years.
Today, the company, which operates communities under several brand names — Béo Senior Living, Danbury, Flourish Collection, Governor’s Village, Independence Village, Leisure Living, Pinebrook of Milford, Southwick Village, Spring Leaf Place, Springwood Place and Springwood Luxury Adult Living, in addition to StoryPoint — is focused on serving as the operating partner in acquisitions.
“Right after the pandemic, our direction changed when we saw seniors housing affected by COVID, and we started to focus more on acquisitions,” recalls Bryant.
He also notes that StoryPoint exhibits significant discretion when selecting the communities it chooses to add to its portfolio. One element of this discretion is ensuring that the leadership of all companies involved is aligned with StoryPoint’s values.
“We try to align ourselves
with like-minded organizations,” emphasizes Bryant. “Before we even consider doing a deal, we want to make sure that it is the right fit for us and the communities we already serve.”
StoryPoint also searches for opportunities that will allow for geographic density, which supports its operations. “It wouldn’t make sense to go into a new market with only one community,” says Bryant.
Beyond growth and portfolio size, StoryPoint is most focused on serving its existing and future residents well. “Our mission has never been to be the biggest, but it is to be the best,” proclaims Bryant. “As long as we can continue to grow and continue to serve, I’m confident that we will continue to have an impact in this industry and on people’s lives.”
— This article originally appeared in the December 2025-January 2026 issue of Seniors Housing Business magazine